The Portland daily press., 1887-01-01
: PEDAGOGICAL SOCIETY.
they Did at Their Sessions
Yesterday.
by Dr. Charles r. CrandaIl
of Portland.
a. in the SchooIroom by Or. C,
A. Phillips.
Especial to the Press !

Especial to the Pressl
BRUNSWICK, Dec. 31.-Teachers continued
to DO ur into the town last evening and this
morning to attend the meetings Of the Peda-
gogical Society until the committee were
obliged to notify some of the applicants for
accommodation that every place of entertain
ment had its full complement of guests. Last
night on the Pullman train from the west,
seven young ladies arrived. They proceed
ed to the Tontine Hotel, and after consider
able planning by the managers of that
crowded hostelry, were provided with a
room into which beside the beds, were put
three cots. The young ladies said that
they slept very comfortably, four in the beds
and three in the cots.
The proprietors of the Tontine, hewever,
are deserving of credit for doing all in their
power to make their guests comfortable on
one Of the coldest nights of the year.
Mr.. A. L. Chase of Portland is here to-
bay.
THE FORENOON EXERCISES.
Before the morning session Prof. Robin
son met some of the teachers in his laborato-
visit was made to the gymnasium. The
meeting was called to order by President
'Tash and prayer was offered by Rev. B. p.
Snow of Willard.
The President announced the following
Committees:
On nominations-L. G. Jordan, Lewiston
Prof, III. l.. Chapman, Brunswick; Princi-
pal w. j.. Corthell, Gorham.
On fesolutions-J. II. Hanson LII. d.,
Waterville; Superintendent Royal t. Gould,
Biddeford; G, B. Files, Augusta.
On teachers places-Superinte n. A..
Luce, Augusta; Superintendent A. M. Ed
wards, Lewiston; Prof. G. c. Purington,
Pennington.
PRIMARY READING.
The first address of the day was delivered
by Prof. NJ. 7. Brown, whose subject was:
sHow to Teach Primary Reading" Prof
Brown spoke at some length on the nature
and division of expression and in applying
his address to the METHOD of primary in
struction, he said thai, as expression is at.
tanned after impression, some familiar OBJ
ject should be given to the child, then
picture of an objectwith which the child is
familiar, and then tie child should be taught
the written and prIted name of each OBJ
ject, the pupil thus naturally learning ex-
preston. Profeser Brown criticized the
method of teachinsreaaing as employed to-
day in the schoolsif Boston and else where,
in which the childs forced to repeat mean
ingless sentences He advocated teaching
the child expressh by the use of Mother
Goose rhymes an similar verses and re-
ferred to the fOOshness of trules providing
that the child shlld at first read only words
of one or two syables as in arquiring Ian
guage, no childbyer began by any such
method. He sa that the child should learn
writing, printinand reading at the same
time.
TEMPEtNCE INSTRUCTION.
In the absenyof Mr.. G. f. Warner of
Pennington. DCrandall read paper upon
the effects of aoholic liquors upon the ner-
vous system, place of the paper upon sci
| entifc temperce instruction to have been
| offered by MrNarner Dr. Crandall de-
| scribed the nous system and the intimate
| relation of itarts to each other. He re-
ferred to thetensely poisonous nature of
| alcohol and A how it acts Immediately on
the nervous stem. The successive stages
of drunkenp were wildly portrayed and
descriptidiven of the different deadly
diseases insed by the introduction of the
poison intoe system, together with their
tendency tad their victims to the per-
formance acts of insane madness. The
great num- of cases of insanity, due to al
cohol, W cited and illustrated by statis-
tics.
Passinj the question of temperance e in
structior the Schools DR.. Crandall said
that it dlot for a long time, appear to oc-
| cur to eest people endeavOring to allevi-
ate the is OF alcoholism, that in the educa-
tion of young lay means to reduce and
eradicahem When attention was at last
| called tl1s matter, however, active steps
were tal to secure temperance instruction,
meetinlth such success that the teaching
is nowldered obligatory by the statutes of
many Ses: The new movement has met
with gifying success, pupils soon becom-
ing cohced of the truth Of the facts taught
and rsyed not to use alcoholic liquor.
Times shown that the objection urged
that children would not grasp the truths
pressed, was unfounded. In Portland
wherle teaching has been in operation but
littleer a year, the scholars evinced will
lingp to learn and just appreciation of
the lwledge they acquire.
Tecture closed with an appeal to the
teacs, many Of whom DR.. Crandall thinks
are doing their work in scientific temper
ancstruction, with the zeal they should
sho The lecturer spoke of the Importance
/
thefforts in this department, as effective
as sible.
| FROM LITERARY STANDPOINT.
4. George G. Chase of Bates College,
dissed the work of the public schools as
Sc from the literary standpoint. Mr..
Ce's paper was plea for the teaching of
lRture for its aid in making men and
ven noble and its intimate relation to
or subjects. He recommended the con-
At reading of good literature in connect
with school work and the adoption OF text
ks of literary excellence. He thought
t much time now devoted to rhetoric and
mmar could be better bestowed upon lit
lture.
lfhe meeting adjourned at this point.
Afternoon Session.
The session in the afternoon commenced
two o'clock, a large number being
| the hail. DR.. G. A. Phillips Of Ellsworth
resented the first paper, under the heading
+ Health in the School Room" The fol-
owing is an abstract:
DIR. PHILLIPs's PAPER.
In the questions of the school life of today
tanding at the front is the cry of oyerwork.
)verwork, that stumbling block, wherein
VIC uHu cAcuSe lOI OuT HeSltcb Ol pIlJolcd
avs and follies, in primarily healthy
dults is almost never found. V ices, ankle
v, money, sorrow, kill, but not work. have
poken Of adults. We Ceal in different fac
ors in speaking of children. During the
"a RI ier years of life all else is subordinate to
physical growth. The brain reaches its full
,rowth at the end of seven years. Death
nters countless homes because the rapidly
'ro win brain starves the body. Work dur
ng these early years often does permanent
larm. Many parents, ignorant of natures
essons coax and drive their children into
asks far more calculated to destroy then to
,uild. The danger Of early childhood lies in
earning too much, not too little.
In the years lying between childhood and
manhood or womanhood, is dangerous
,round. A fact to be borne in mind is that
he injuries to pupils from mental strain,
" neither from work or emotional disturb
lnce, are not necessarily nervous in charac-
er. As far as my knowledge goes it is ex-
remely rare for an originally healthy pupil
o be harmed by the work required in our
schools. There are some, but there are
many more who suffer from other causes.
The scholer in danger from overwork is the
brilliant pupil, quick to learn and not his
slower companions.
The bulk of those INJURED during school
ife are the sensitive, proud and ambitious